Digital cameras have become very popular in recent years. A digital camera has many advantages over traditional film cameras. These advantages include: (1) being able to instantly view the picture; (2) being able to delete pictures of inferior quality; (3) recording the image in digital form allowing it to be manipulated on a computer; (4) the ability to transmit the pictures to others electronically; and (5) the ability to print photo quality pictures at home. However, to fully take advantage of these qualities it is often necessary to transfer the image file from the camera to a processing device that allows manipulation and/or communication of the file. Such transfer requires that the camera and the processing device to be linked. Most often this link is accomplished with a cable. As a result, a user has to have access to a cable to fully utilize the qualities of the camera.
Most digital cameras provide a linking cable as an accessory. The cable is provided with connectors at both ends—one to connect to a port on the camera and the other to connect to a port on the processing machine, i.e., the computer, cellular phone or personal digital assistant (“PDA”). The problem with such an arrangement is that if the user wishes to download from the camera in a remote location, then an accommodation has to be made to carry the cable in a carrying case or some other vehicle. Moreover, it is easy to forget or misplace the cable thereby limiting the capabilities of the camera when the cable is unavailable.
At the same time, modern telecommunications systems have enabled a great deal of consumer mobility. Consumers may travel throughout local areas or across long distances and yet remain in communication with others via wireless or landline telephones, e-mail, instant messaging, audio and video conferencing, and other facilities. Cellular wireless is an increasingly popular means of personal communication in the modern world. People are using cellular wireless networks for the exchange of voice and data over cellular telephones, PDAs, cellular telephone modems, and other devices. This exchange of information over wireless networks is only improving and increasing. With the advent of third generation wireless networks, so called Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) networks, the case of communicating information, including images, over these networks will become increasing more important. In such an environment it is advantageous to be able to transmit images from a digital camera over a wireless network. However, if the user is unable to get the information onto the network, because of no access to the appropriate linking cable, the capabilities of the wireless network are of no use.